Liberty Bank has established a new lending relationship with Breckenridge Grand Vacations timeshare providing an initial loan of $10 million. Bank spokesperson, Denise Brewer, Vice President, says, “We were very impressed by the company’s track record and well-respected position in their community.”

President of Wellington Financial, (the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Banks) Ron Goldberg says, “the Breckenridge Grand Vacations team has demonstrated a fantastic track record in developing, marketing, selling and managing Gold Point Resort, Grand Timber Lodge and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7, as well as being a great asset to the community.”

Rob Millisor, resort operator adds, “Over the last 25 years, we’ve (Breckenridge resort) developed a business philosophy to serve investors, owners-and-guests, employees and our community. This attitude governs everything we do and has allowed us to provide family after family with excellent vacations for many years. We strongly believe that our dedication to ensuring the satisfaction of all four of these constituents has given us the focus for our success in the vacation ownership business in Breckenridge.”

Sell My Timeshare NOW is the only authorized reseller for Grand Timeshare Lodge resales. Grand Timber Lodge is a 5-star, year-round resort located at the base of Colorado’s Breckenridge ski resort and within minutes of the shops, restaurants, and entertainment in downtown Breckenridge.

More information about Breckenridge timeshares on The Timeshare Authority Blog:

• Timeshare Sales Good News for Grand Lodge Timeshares in Breckenridge, CO
• Grand Timber Lodge Timeshare Resort

The office of the Maryland Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, has published its latest edition of The Consumer’s Edge, focusing this issue on good advice for buying timeshare. The article, titled, “Timeshares: a Break from Reality?” takes timeshare buyers and prospective buyers through points they should consider before making the decision to become a timeshare owner.

The two-page report is easy-to-read and packed with clear, concise definitions and insights written to help consumers better understand the product they are buying. Here are some of the points made by the Attorney General’s report:

1. Do your homework so that you know what you are buying and that the timeshare or vacation ownership product you select is truly the right one to meet your needs.
2. Look at the total cost of your timeshare purchase, including mortgage payments, travel costs, maintenance fees (that are likely to increase over time) your finance cost, and your taxes if they are not included with your other fees.
3. Visit the timeshare resort where you plan to buy.
4. Learn the differences in timeshare intervals and deeded timeshare. Become knowledgeable about fixed or floating timeshare, timeshare points, vacation clubs, biennial timeshare, fractionals, and lock-offs.
5. And perhaps most important of all, don’t expect your timeshare to appreciate in values, or even to hold its value. Timeshare –like a resale automobile— consistently sells for less on the resale market than when purchased as new timeshare. As Attorney General Gansler, explains, “Timeshares are an expensive purchase and should not be considered an investment. Consumers need to do their homework before signing any contract.”

“Timeshares: a Break from Reality?” is a strong, informative report that is bound to be helpful to any consumer who is considering buying timeshare and even to many timeshare owners who don’t fully understand the product they have purchased. Best of all, the Attorney General’s report doesn’t represent that timeshares themselves are inherently a bad buy nor does it attempt to paint the entire industry with a single brush.

The acclaimed Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, known for some of Europe’s most popular resorts, is breaking into the Florida timeshare market. The hotel and timeshare company has acquired the current Encantada Resort, which is located just outside Orlando, in the Kissimmee-Orlando vacation area, in close proximity to all your favorite Orlando theme parks and recreation destinations.

Club La Costa is renowned worldwide for its mixed-use resorts, which include both whole ownership homes and timeshare, and the famous Club La Costa Yacht Club. Founded more than twenty years ago, by South African entrepreneur, Roy Peires, Club La Costa resorts can be found in Spain, Tenerife, Turkey, the US, England, Austria, and Scotland.

Peires explains, “The announcement of our new resort has already caused a lot of excitement among our members who can look forward to a resort exhibiting Club La Costa high standards in this sought after destination.”

There are currently over 50,000 Club La Costa member-owners and the company employs approximately 2,000 people. Club La Costa Resorts are a member of the RCI.

At Sell My Timeshare NOW, we are excited about our acquisition of the clients and primary assets of the Canada timeshare website, Rapid Resale, Ltd. Their customer base is loyal; the website, established in September of 2004, has a proven track record of helping Canadian owners buy and sell timeshare in the secondary market. This move strengthens our position in the Canada timeshare market by expanding our brand and visibility. And as Jay Bade, Vice President, Business Development for Sell My Timeshare NOW, stated to the media, “We are honored that April Cummins entrusted her customers to Sell My Timeshare NOW and excited to be able to expand visibility, marketing, and timeshare sales services for her clients.”

Now if only the mainstream media will share this positive, timeshare industry business growth and development with its audience. Will the story be buried behind accounts of shady timeshare resellers and sluggish quarterly profit reports from timeshare developers and resort companies?

Perhaps the timeshare industry story that gets “buried” most of all is the simple and astounding fact that a high percentage (consistently year-in-and-year out greater than 80 percent) of timeshare owners report that they use and enjoy their timeshare and are satisfied with timeshare ownership. 23.5 percent of timeshare owners rank their ownership experience as excellent; 37.4 percent rank it as very good; and 23.9 percent rank it as good … which adds up to a whopping 84.8 percent ranking it good or better than good. (Source: Vacation Timeshare Owners Report, 2008 edition. Prepared by Synovate for AIF in a study that surveyed a national sample of 4009 current timeshare owners between May 30 and June 10, 2008.)

Timeshare really is a good news story, even though that is not always the message consumers hear. If you would like to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s “good news” media release, click here: Sell My Timeshare NOW Acquires Top Canadian Timeshare Resales Website